We've written a draft of our pitch memo and we're getting ready to revise and hone our sentences. But before we do that, we need to really understand the nuts and bolts of writing. This lesson's videos covered grammar, and the next lesson will give you specific techniques on revision. Do grammar and punctuation really matter? Of course they do. [SOUND] For one thing, if your grammar and punctuation are bad, then it makes you look extremely unpolished. Just as importantly, these rules aren't some arbitrary set of restrictions that are meant to frustrate you. They're there to make you look good. Grammar is all about clarity, therefore the rules are really worth learning. To explore my point, let's have a look at this sentence. After rotting in the cellar for weeks, Janie Russell and Fred Smith brought up some oranges. When they arrived they felt ill and they smelled terrible. Who or what rotted in the cellar for weeks? Was it Janie Russell and Fred Smith? Or was it the oranges? Who or what felt ill? Who or what smelled terrible? How many people brought up oranges? It depends on where you put your commas. The poor grammar in this sentence obscures the meaning and makes the reader do the work to interpret the sentence. This isn't how we want to write. Remember, we want to control the reading experience so our audience understands exactly what we want them to. That's why grammar's important. It makes you look good and helps you get your ideas across with clarity. The next series of videos addresses seven of the most common grammar mistakes and how to correct them. I'm going to to explain why these mistakes hurt on mission of clarity so that you will understand why they're important. But I should also explain something here, this is far from a comprehensive grammar lesson. For one thing I’m going to assume that you have a basic grasp of English grammar. For instance, I don't cover subject verb agreement. And these are only seven of the most common mistakes that I happen to see. If you have more grammar questions than I answer here, and you really probably do, grammar resources are available everywhere. Some of my favorites, the Purdue Online Writing Lab, otherwise known as the Purdue OWL, is a terrific online resource for all kinds of writing questions. Just google Purdue OWL to find it. There are tons of grammar books out there, like the classics, Strunk and White. Or you might want to purchase something like The Grammar Devotional, with a daily grammar lesson. It's got tips that you can learn to build your arsenal of knowledge. Let's get started on our videos. Because knowing to avoid these errors will improve your writing and your personal branding.